NHRC Satisfied with Steps Taken in Assam

The National Human Rights Commission on Thursday said it is satisfied with the steps taken and implementation of its suggestions by Assam.

No major human rights issue took place in Assam in recent times, NHRC Chairperson Justice H L Dattu said adding the commission was satisified with how the state government officials reacted to the bosy’s queries and accepted its suggestions.

“We are happy that the state government reacted very fast and readily gave monetary compensations to the victims,” Justice Dattu told a press conference in Guwahati.

The full Commission, which held a two-day hearing since Wednesday on various cases from Assam and Meghalaya, however, said it cannot instruct the state government to make the Assam Human Rights Commission (AHRC) properly functional. Asked about the status and functioning of AHRC, Dattu said it is the state government’s responsibility to look after the organisation and provide infrastructural support.

“At most, NHRC can recommend to the state government, but we cannot direct. We do not have any administrative control over AHRC. We cannot do much about this,” he added. On the first day, NHRC considered 43 matters including forest rights of Chakma people, trafficking of girls and rape of a tribal minor girl.

Some other cases that NHRC took up include massacre of 36 villagers of Nonke Khagrabari in Baksa, grabbing of land of tribal villagers, non-issue of caste certificates, non- implementation of welfare schemes and sexual assault of minor girls by a police inspector at Ampati in Meghalaya.